


nocte horis dicemus (we talk within the hours of night) (discontinued)

by MercurialComet



Series: mihail-verse [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dedue Centric, F/F, Latin, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, The Author Regrets Nothing, Worldbuilding, aka there was very little given about the people of Duscur and I am going to write it myseld, but accurate because i'm learning it, but then i realized i don't like dimidue because of reasons, okay i started writing this with dimidue in mind, so now it's just a platonic relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2020-12-23 23:43:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21089783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercurialComet/pseuds/MercurialComet
Summary: Dedue and Mihail continue the Duscur tradition of "nocte horis dicemus", in which people talk about their days with each other.Sometimes, others fall into their conversations.





	1. Prima Dies

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I thought this would be a cute one shot but now  
I'm 9 pages and 3245 words into this and the pot is just now simmering. 
> 
> Buckle up.

It’s the day after the White Heron Cup and Dedue still can’t believe that he won it. 

It seems as if it’s all one horribly written joke, the man from Duscur winning a dance competition. Mihail was constantly laughing throughout the next day, the fellow Duscurus having to leave class to go to the infirmary after complaining about stomach pain from all the laughing.

The class seemed to be a bit more distant today, not out of anger that he won (he hopes), but just out of the sheer awkwardness of the situation. Professor Byleth seemed to have a greater hint of a smile on their face as they lectured. When the students broke for individual studies, Dedue went over to Mercedes and Annette to work on Faith magic, something the three had been doing for the past few moons.

Mercedes spoke first, putting down the old tome she was making her way through. “Oh, Dedue-” She looked curious, a kind smile on her face as her eyes were alight with wonder. “-how are you doing after winning the Cup?”

“I’m managing.” Dedue states solemnly, his eyes pouring over a book written in Duscurum. “There are a few similarities between Faerghus and Duscur dancing, but it’s a different rhythm than what I am used to.”

“Oh!” Annette exclaimed, her magical textbook falling out of her hands onto the desk. “Okay, that makes sense now! You seemed to have a different flow with your steps. It was really interesting.”

“Really?” Dedue’s eyes froze of the sentence he was reading. “I hope I didn’t look that bad.”

“No, you were great!” Annette said, trying to correct her words. “You were amazing! Alois said your technique was refreshing and innovative-”

Mercedes giggled as her girlfriend rambled, more for herself and her analyses on performance, turning to Dedue. “You did very well. You deserved the win.”

Dedue nodded. “Thank you Mercedes.”

“It’s no issue. You’re a _ bonus amica _.” Mercedes smiled as Dedue’s eyebrow raised, the man unaware she was learning Duscurum.

“It’s _ bonus amicus _. You used the female subject form of _amic__us _.”

“Thank you Dedue.”

A small smile appeared on Dedue’s face as he returned to the book, his eyes refocusing on stories of deities and champions. “It is no issue, my _ bona amica _.”

* * *

Later, that same night, Dedue knocked on Mihail’s door, the two Duscuri having decided years ago in Fhirdiad to revive a common tradition from their culture and rarely having missed a day, even when traveling to Garreg Mach.

Mihail opened the door, a smirk on his face as he nodded his head. “_ Salve, dominus Molinaro Terra _.”

Dedue sighed, nodding back as he walked in, taking a seat at Mihail’s desk. “_ Salve, dominus Vessyl Ventum _.” There was a silence between the two that lasted until Mihail had closed the door, turning around quickly with mirth and mischief in his different colored eyes.

“So? How has the man of the ball fared so far?”

“It has been an awkward day.” Dedue groaned, “_ Mentes causa _, I have only had a normal conversation with Mercedes.”

“Ah, she was always a breath of fresh air.” Mihail walked over to the desk, pulling out the small tea set he had, pouring some of his magic into the kettle to heat up the tea inside. “How did the prince take it? I didn’t see him for long after the Cup.”

Dedue frowned. “His Highness practically ran from me all day. When I was able to stay by his side, he was looking everywhere else.”

“But you?!”

“But me.” Mihail shook his head at Dedue’s words, grabbing two mugs and pouring the tea. Dedue continued speaking. “Have I done something wrong? Is His Highness upset that I won?”

Mihail gave the vassal a look of incredulity as he handed him the teacup. “I wouldn’t think so. He’s probably happy that the Blue Lions won, and that you won it for us. I think-”  
  


“_Precor_ _terrae, tace._”

  
“Alright, alright. _ Terram causa, non dicam. _” The two men were quiet as they sipped their tea, ginger sharp on their tongues and warm in their stomachs. The comfortable silence blended back into seamless conversation of their days, Mihail revealing his time spent with Linhardt while he was in the infirmary, and the two men confused about how Mercedes knew any Duscurum.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to say that Mihail is an oc you can find in my other fe3h work: a new thread to sew
> 
> Also, if you want to comment, feel free to!

The next morning, the Blue Lions found themselves getting ready to go out for a practice battle. The men were changing into their battle gear, Sylvain constantly draping himself across every available surface in front of Felix, Ashe blushing as Caspar slung an arm around his shoulder, and Dimitri was practically a ghost, outside of the changing room before Dedue could even recognize that his charge was even there at all.

Dedue had finished putting on his new attire, the flowing robes a stark contrast from the brawling gear he had worn in earlier fights. He heard Mihail complaining about the weight of his own mage robes to Lindhardt and Lorenz as the door closed behind him. He immediately saw Dimitri talking to the Professor by the gates, a few of the women in the house also ready to go.

Dedue walked up to the two, giving a slight bow to both. “Your Highness, Professor.”

“Hello Dedue,” Byleth gave the man a contemplative glance, which may as well have been a smile for them. “How are you doing today?”

“I am quite well today, Professor.” Dedue said, walking around to take his spot next to Dimitri, the lord’s face. “The others should be ready soon.”

“That’s nice. I was just telling Dimitri about where we were going today.” The mercenary’s eyes twinkled with something too quick for Dedue to figure out. “I have to go talk to Seteth quickly to let him know that we are going to leave. I’ll be back soon.” The quick interaction was ended by Byleth walking away, Dimitri staying oddly quiet for the situation. The vassal turned to look at his charge, concern filling his heart.

“Are you feeling well, Your Highness?” 

Dimitri jumped at the acknowledgement, his face suddenly turning red, giving Dedue a greater concern about the prince. “I’m quite well Dedue.” 

“Do you have a fever? I heard that there was a sickness going around the monastery. Dorothea said that it ruined her voice for a day or two.”

“I am quite well.” Dimitri’s voice was clipped, although he didn’t seem angry. “How are you doing? I can’t see those garments blocking the cold.”

Dedue simply shrugged, a bad habit he had for whenever he didn’t have a quick answer to a question. “I assume I am just well adjusted to the cold. It’s a common trait of the Duscur people.” 

Annette and Mercedes walked over, the two mages shivering slightly from the cold. “Dedue-”

Dedue sighed and gave Annette a slight smile as he opened his arms, Annette and Mercedes immediately running in and completing the hug. The two women sighed in relief from the cold. “See Mercie, I told you that Dedue was a lovable furnace.”

Mercedes giggled as the three embraced. Dedue’s smile grew slightly wider, not showing his teeth yet, but his lips were noticeably upturned. He looked back at Dimitri, the prince’s face somehow even redder as he looked at the scene before him. “I guess I will see you all during the battle?”

Dedue nodded. “I will be by your side then Your Highness. I feel I must attend to my _ bonas amicas _ at this moment.”

Dimitri was quiet for a few moments, face blushing even more before he turned around. Mercedes and Annette glanced at the prince before turning to face Dedue with knowing looks on their faces that made him slightly nervous about what they were planning.

* * *

“_Exspectas.” _ Mihail sang, the calm and flowing notes of the song flowing through the air as he sat in the back of the carriage as the house rode to their practice battle. Annette and Lindhardt hummed along, the former out of excitement for the coming battle and the latter because he was half asleep on Mihail’s shoulder. 

Sylvain leaned over to look at Mihail, Ingrid complaining about the shift into her space. “Hey Mihail, do you know any other songs from Duscur?” 

The son of the late ambassadors turned to face the redhead, an eyebrow raised. “I do.”

“Could you sing them?”

Mihail’s face remained neutral. “No.”

The sheer deadpan in his voice caused Dedue to let out a chuckle, noticing that Dimitri had turned to face him in that moment, a smile gracing the prince’s lips. The two turned tuned back into the playful bickering between Sylvain and Mihail. 

“You have such a good voice though!”

“And that doesn’t mean I have to sing for you, moron. Pick someone else to sing you a lullaby.” Mihail waved a hand haphazardly through the air. “Have Felix sing to you or something.”

The swordsman looked revolted. “Absolutely not.”

Ingrid nodded in agreement. “Felix sounds like his father when he’s singing.”

There was silence in the carriage for a few seconds before those from Faerghus started laughing, the memory of the Shield of Fraldarius’ horrific singing as he guided the convoy to Garreg Mach springing to their minds. The professor and transfer students looked at each other in confusion as it started settling down.

Felix’s face was frozen in its earlier revulsion, Annette’s face joining him as she whispered to Mercedes, who lovingly smiled and giggled at whatever she was saying. Ingrid had a small smile on her face, Sylvain’s arm around her shoulder as his face gladly displayed his glee at the entire situation. Ashe calmly leaned back onto Caspar’s shoulder, and Dimitri wiped a tear from his eye as he looked outside the convoy, the smile slowly sliding off his face.

“There are bandits up ahead, Professor.”

Byleth turned to look forward as they stopped the convoy, and Dedue followed suit, seeing the bandits standing in the middle of the road, with many arrows already nocked and aimed at the convoy. “Dimitri and Felix, you two take point with me.” The mercenary commanded, grabbing the Sword of the Creator from their side. “Sylvain and Ingrid, get your mounts and catch up when you can. Mihail, Mercedes, Dedue, and Annette are all on support and magic duty. Ashe, you’re the sniper. Lorenz, go with Ashe, Caspar is with Dimitri, and-”

“Flayn is with you!” Everyone said together, used to the mint-haired girl always being next to the Professor’s side. Byleth sighed as everyone got out of the convoy and into their positions. Dedue ended up near Mercedes and Byleth, watching as the mercenary dashed up to one of the archers, dodging an arrow as they stuck with their sword. A second bandit flashed in the corner of Dedue’s eye, a thrust of Dimitri’s lance incapacitating the threat.

Dedue then realized that a bandit was attempting to sneak up on him and he reacted, grabbing his axe as he dodged the bandit’s attack before retaliating, the bandit out cold after being hit with the flat of his blade. “Wait, this isn’t dancing.”

Mercedes ran by him, the harried smile on her face breaking into a laugh as she threw a fireball at the bandits.

As he surveyed the battlefield, he dodged a bolt of lightning from an incoming mage, the hairs on the back of his neck standing from the electricity. Dedue took a step back, his lack of magical defence one of his strongest weaknesses.

_ “Dedus! Trade et salta!” _ Mihail slid in front of Dedue as he shouted, retaliating with his own bolt of lightning, striking the mage. Dedue stepped back, yielding the attack to his classmates as he tried to come up with a dance, his mind completely empty of the knowledge of dancing he had learned from the Faerghus. All that his mind could give him was a small memory from his childhood, a common song he had heard and sung many times.

_ “Convenite, viatores-” _ The opening lines seemed to fall out of his lips, his hands moving in an approximation of the dancers at the festivals he frequented a lot. Mihail glanced back and grinned, magic swirling around the two as Dedue sang and Mihail cast his omnipotence spell.

As Dedue continued dancing and singing, his footwork allowed him to shift towards where Sylvain was dealing with 3 bandits on his own. The redhead heard his voice, parrying a sword with his lance before he risked a glance over, grinning at the man from Duscur as they both stuck bandits with their own weapons, regaining control of the situation. Sylvain laughed as the third bandit went to retaliate against Dedue, the dancer avoiding it easily as he continued the dance, the steps that he made with a grace that was usually only shown in the greenhouse. 

After the cavalier took care of the third bandit and rode off, Dedue continued to dance, feeling Mihail’s omnipotence refresh as he danced for Annette, her smile infectious as she gleefully commanded the winds around her. 

Dedue cracked a smile himself, his voice warming up as he entered the next verse. _ “Fatebor carminem de amore perite-” _The robes flowed around him, grey ribbons and iron jewelry making him a strong focal point in the battle, his deep bass voice accenting the magnificence of his power even more.

The flow of battle had already been stacked in the Blue Lions favor, but as Dedue made his way over to Dimitri and Caspar, he noticed that everyone seemed to be more active when he passed them: the tip of Felix’s sword seemed to glow and sing in harmony with Dedue’s voice, Ashe’s arrows pierced through the air around him as he danced. Mihail’s magic flowed with the wind, the mage mouthing the words along with Dedue’s performance, a smile on his lips as he healed Ingrid.

He noticed Dimitri’s lance flash, a wooden viper with a metal bite in the prince’s hands. Caspar smiled and waved as he approached, idly protecting Dimitri’s back as the prince dispatched another bandit. Dimitri looked up as Dedue stepped to his side, the soft hum of different words than those originally in the song: _ “Rex gaudium. Rex artes-” _highlighting Dedue’s healing spell, the energy trailing off of Dedue’s hand as he traced the wound of a sword slice on Dimitri’s face, the world of the dancer tunneling to only the prince’s wellbeing.

The prince smiled at him, his blond hair framing his face as Dedue finished healing him, Caspar’s axe slicing through the air being the only sound able to bring the two out of the moment, looking back at the battlefield as Ashe’s arrow tore through the neck of the last bandit, leaving the field quiet except for the last notes of Dedue’s song, the vocalizations a sweet, rejuvenating molasses to the waning energy of the Blue Lions after the battle.

* * *

Mihail gives Dedue a look in the mirror as the taller man worked on his hair. “So, _ Magna Fabula _, huh?”

Dedue sighed as he combed through the hair, getting close to the mint green streak. “Yes, I was singing the _ Magnam Fabulam _.”

“It wasn’t the right words though- _ durus! _”

Dedue untwisted the comb, picking through the small knots he had made in his haste to get him to be quiet. _ “Mihal, es vir malus.” _

Mihail sighed. _ “Noctis horae causa-” _

“No, there will be nothing for the sake of the nighttime hours.” Dedue said sternly, starting to part Mihail’s hair into sections. “_ Tace _.”

Mihail smirked. _ “Dicam docere te de se gaudis.” _

_ “Mei dolor, non-” _Dedue was interrupted by a knock on the door, the two Duscuri raising an eyebrow as Dedue got off of his bed and made his way to the door, wondering who was up this late at night.

He opened the door, Dimitri standing in the hallway, attired in his night robes. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, Your Highness. What do you need help with?”

“I-” Dimitri hesitated, visibly thinking about his next words. “I have many questions about the culture of Duscur. Is it alright if I enter?”

Mihail shouts out, “Yes, please do!”, from his spot at the foot of Dedue’s bed, a gleeful tone to his voice. Dimitri looks confused about the entire situation as Dedue guides him inside the room.

“If I’m interrupting something important-”

“You’re fine.” Mihail went to assuage Dimitri’s fear as the prince and the vassal sat down on the bed, Dedue retaking his seat and getting back to his task of controlling Mihail’s hair. “Just ask your questions. Live in the moment, _ filius regi mei _.”

Dedue sighed, the smirk Mihail was giving him through the mirror something that broadcast intentions he would like to avoid. Dimitri, as oblivious as he always was, was deep in thought. “What were the songs you two were singing today? During the travel and the bandit attack.”

“Well, I was singing _ Exspectare _, which roughly translates as ‘to wait’.” Mihail explained. “It’s a popular song to sing while you wait for something to happen. The song that Dedue was singing-”

“It’s just a popular song from Duscur.” Dedue didn’t want to explain the significance of the song to the prince, why this night’s conversation had practically been an interrogation. “It’s mostly sung at festivals and as a lullabye-”

“_Dedus, _ you sang the Epic!” Mihail exclaimed an incredulous look on his face. “You gave a masterful performance that would have made any festival dancer proud.”

Dedue looked up at the ceiling, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment as Mihail showered him in compliments. After a few moments, he faced forward again, determined to move on with the night. He felt Dimitri shift next to him, and he turned to see his charge looking up at him, a smile of adoration on his face.

Their eyes connected, and Dedue couldn’t help but notice the way the moon and candlelight reflected in Dimitri’s light eyes. There was a beat of silence before Dedue quickly faced forward, nearly giving himself whiplash with how quickly his head had moved. His hands started working through Mihail’s hair quicker, parting off different sections and tying them off with ribbons.

“Is that so Mihail?” He heard Dimitri ask, some positive emotions present in his voice that Dedue couldn’t directly identify right now, looking down at Mihail’s scalp. “I would expect nothing less from him.”

“You give me too much credit, Your Highness.” Dedue said, wetting his hands before he started braiding the first section of hair. “What is your next question?”

Mihail’s eyes narrowed, meeting Dedue’s own for a second before they widened, Dedue giving his hair a sharp tug before he spoke as a warning.

Dimitri casually continued speaking, still oblivious of the interactions between his classmates. “Dedue, how was it like to dance today?”

“It was a very befitting duty to accomplish, Your Highness.” Mihail rolled his eyes and Dimitri frowned as Dedue avoided the question.

“Were you comfortable doing it?” Dimitri gently pushed. “It wasn’t too cold, was it?”

“I was perfectly fine during the battle today, Your Highness. I am glad to have supported the Blue Lions.”

_ “At amas saltare pro eum.” _Mihail’s smirk was practically implanted into his face as he interjected. 

A small corner of Dedue’s mind wondered if he could get away with the disappearance of his classmate. _ “Mihal, cur?” _

Mihail shrugged. _ “Sum laetus et malus vir.” _

Dimitri looked awkward and confused, but intrigued at the exchange in front of him. “I am glad you felt at peace with the task. You seem to have already mastered it on the battlefield.”

Dedue felt himself blush, his cheeks obviously darkening in the sight of the mirror. He internally congratulated himself on keeping his voice level as he spoke. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“What were the words you were singing when you healed me?” The prince of Faerghus practically slurred his words with how fast he spoke. Dedue marvelled at how red the prince’s face was before the words registered in his own mind. Mihail’s eyes widened as he gave Dedue a look of concern.

_ “Rex gadium. _ King of joy. _ Rex artes. _King of skill.” Dedue said, halfway through braiding Mihail’s hair. “It’s a different interpretation of the song. I thought it fit the occasion.”

“Oh.” Dimitri’s face stayed red as he stood up, night robe draped around him. “Well, um, thank you for letting me interrupt your night. I hope to see you two in class tomorrow. Good night.”

“Good night Your Highness.”

“Good night Prince Dimitri.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Exspectas - You wait (The song is based off of Waiting from The Band's visit)
> 
> Dedus! Trade et salta! - Dedue! Yield and dance!
> 
> Convenite, viatores - Come together, travelers (a rough approx. of "gather round, you vagabonds")
> 
> Fatebor carminem de amore perite - I will declare a song of a love passed on
> 
> Magna Fabula - Great Story/Epic (the song is based off of an old version of Epic I from Hadestown)
> 
> durus! - Harsh!
> 
> Mihal, es vir malus. - Mihail, you are a bad/evil man.
> 
> Dicebim docere te de se gaudis. - I will speak to teach you about your own pleasures.
> 
> Mei dolor, non - My passion/grief/pain, not-
> 
> Filius recti mei - son of my king (my prince)
> 
> At amas saltare pro eum - But yet you love to dance for him.
> 
> Mihal, cur? - Mihail, why?
> 
> Sum laetus et malus vir - I am a joyous and evil/bad man.
> 
> Hopefully everything else is explained in the story......


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which the author starts to include plot and canon divergence lmao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy.... this plot is going to be something...
> 
> also, there's not much latin/duscurum in this chapter.... oh, well.

The next day of class saw everyone looking at Reason magic, which Dedue had put aside a while ago to work on Faith and healing. 

Dedue watched as Mercedes was working on adding more power to her fire spell, Lindhardt and Lorenz looking over her calculations and Caspar suffering as the calculations were being made. Ashe and Flayn were getting tutored by Annette, subtle breezes blowing through the class as the three worked. Ingrid had been reading a frost-blue colored tome for the past few minutes, taking notes on parchment next to her. Professor Byleth had taken Dimitri and Felix to teach them thunder spells, Mihail dragged over to assist.

This left Dorothea, Sylvain, and Dedue to band together to just study and review the basics of Reason magic: with Dorothea’s precision, Sylvain’s intuition, and Dedue’s persistence to guide the three through their work. “I think that’s it.” Dorothea said, looking at the pieces of parchment that they had scribbled on. “The runes are correct, circle diameter is perfect-”

Sylvain snatched up the papers with a gleeful smile on his face. “Let’s try to cast it!”

Sighing, Dedue quickly snatched the papers out of Sylvain’s hand before bad things happened. Dorothea giggled at the look on Sylvain’s face as the papers moved, the cavalier letting out a noise of protest.

“Sylvain, we didn’t do the calculations for any of us to cast this, we just used a random stand in-”

“Then let’s do it for one of us! Please Dedue?” Dorothea joined in on the pleading, the two giving the man from Duscur puppy eyes. 

Dedue looked at the two, gauging how serious the two were. “Alright,” he relented, “Do the calculations for me.”

Dorothea quickly whipped out some more parchment, already scribbling out the starting runes. “Say less Dedue.” 

Dedue looked on in horror as the two conspired, many pieces of parchment being thrown around as the calculations were being finalized. The runes were slide across the table within the next minute. He picked up the paper and looked at the wind spell detailed for him. His brought up his arm, speaking the exhortation and making the movements to summon wind around his hands, much to the cheers of Dorothea and Sylvain. 

Byleth walked over to the three, Dimitri and Mihail following them. “Good job you three.”

“Watching you three work was very entertaining,” Mihail said, “Isn’t that right, my prince?”

Dimitri started stammering, a light blush appearing on his face. Dorothea giggled as she walked away, making her way to Ingrid’s side. Sylvain smirked as Dedue made his way to Dimitri’s side, attempting to calm down the prince.

Byleth smiled at the scene, a sight that Dedue just managed to see out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

Dedue spent his free time in the greenhouse, working with the groundskeepers to take care of all the plants. He was currently attending to some flowers that Ashe had planted earlier in the month, watering can in his hand when he noticed Seteth run in, casting a quick glance around the room before heading up to him.

“Have you seen Flayn anywhere?” He seemed troubled, his hair as frantic as he is.

“No, I have not seen her since class an hour or two ago. Is she alright?”

“She’s disappeared again.” Seteth tittered. “I’m just concerned about her.”

Dedue nodded. “I will keep an eye out for her. I would try asking the professor.”

Seteth nodded profusely, already walking away as he muttered to himself. Dedue went back to working on the plants, making his way around a quarter of the room before Flayn came walking in, a smile on her face. “Greetings Dedue! May I have a flower?”

“Ask the groundskeeper for some.” Dedue instructed, watering can moving in between two flowers. “I know that the petunias have finished blooming.”

“Ah, thank you very much!” She skipped away before Dedue was able to tell her about her older brother. 

With a shrug, Dedue went back to caring for the plants, putting on gloves to handle the pegasus blessings so he could spread them among the plants. He was nearly done with the task before Byleth walked in, speaking with the groundskeeper before making their way to Dedue. The two worked in silence, Byleth planting their seeds and Dedue tilling the soil.

“Good job in class today.” Byleth said.

“Thank you.” Dedue responded. The greenhouse was still silent as the two did their tasks. The professor left, and Dedue finished his work. He left the greenhouse a few minutes after the professor, heading towards his room.

* * *

That night, Mihail and Dedue found themselves in the Blue Lions classroom, moving chairs and tables out of the way.

Dedue spoke as Mihail put away the last chair. “This is a bad idea.”

“Oh well,” Mihail shrugged, “What are they going to do? Have us clean the stables?”

“Why are we even doing this?”

“Because I haven’t festival danced in years. And besides, you could consider this practice for battle.”

Dedue sighed. “I don’t even think I could festival dance in the robes they gave me. It flows and flaps too much. Besides, I’m not sure if festival clothes would work with the other Blue Lions.”

“Who cares?” Mihail lit a few candles, placing them around the perimeter of the empty space in the middle of the room. “As long as you’re comfortable with it, does it matter?”

“Does what matter?” 

The two Duscuri turned to face the back of the classroom as Dimitri walked in, a look of confusion on his face as he spoke.

“Nothing, Your Highness.” Dedue answered, giving the prince a nod as he rejoiced the fact that Mihail was staying silent.

“Ah.” Dimitri gave him a polite smile before looking at the room again. “I assume it has something to do with the state of the classroom.”

“That’s right!” Mihail crowed, standing in the center. “I just wanted to go over some dances with Dedue, see how well our muscle memory serves us. For example, I don’t remember doing a dance of the rising flame, but we can always try.”

Dedue gave Mihail a look, remembering the number of festivals that he had seen Mihail dance in, especially the opening dance.  _ “Saltavas.” _

Mihail looked surprised as he took a seat on the ground. “Hmm. Interesting. Do you mind doing the call for me?”

Dimitri raised his hand. “The call?”

“The  _ ignis oritur,  _ the rising flame, is the opening dance of many festivals.” Dedue explained, “There are a few calls for the dancers, just to make sure that it flows smoothly. We can skip a good portion of them right now.” He turned to face the dancer in the space.  _ “Ventus! Orire!” _

Mihail started to smoothly transition into a standing position, breezes of wind starting to blow around him. As he took his opening steps, the candlelight flickered as the breezes nearly blew out the candles and ruffled the papers still on desks. Dedue rolled his eyes as fond memories of a younger Mihail, doing the same motions as he was doing now, stirred in his mind.

“Wow.” Dimitri sighed. “Does this usually happen at festivals?” 

“Yes, Your Highness.” Dedue found himself smiling at the look on Dimitri’s face as he gazed in wonder at Mihail’s dance. “The dance of the wind is usually one of the more entertaining ones.”

“I can see why.” Dimitri marveled. “It’s a very lively dance.”

“The dance of the earth is much better.”

“I would love to see it, if you champion it’s grace.” Dedue turned to face his charge, surprised at the honest interest on Dimitri’s face. Dedue felt his own smile widen as he thought about showing Dimitri how a Duscurum festival could work, the food and music and dancing and finery-

“Is everyone alright in here?” Dedue turned to face the door, removing himself from the fantasy in his head as Lady Rhea took a step into the classroom, a peaceful expression on her face.

Dimitri nodded, bowing to the archbishop. “Forgive us, Lady Rhea. Dedue and Mihail simply wanted to reminisce about their culture.” As he spoke, Mihail finished dancing, stepping out of the ending spin with a huge smile on his face.

“Wow, I miss dancing like that!” Mihail said, breathing heavily. “All we need are the right outfits and food and-” He saw the archbishop and immediately cut himself off to throw himself into a hasty bow.

A small and thoughtful smile appeared on Lady Rhea’s face. “Of course. We all must look back on our roots from time to time. Revisit them.”

Dedue felt his throat clog up with the sad realization that revisiting Duscur was not currently in his future. His sadness must have been present on his face, as Dimitri’s own smile waned as he looked at the vassal.

“In any case,” the Archbishop continued, “I must ask that you all blow out the candles and return to the dormitory.”

“Yes, Lady Rhea.” Mihail cast a few cutting gales, taking out the flames in the room. “We’ll be on our way.”

The archbishop’s smile grew. “Thank you, Macui-” Dedue noticed the woman hesitate before she corrected herself. “Mihail. Dimitri. Dedue. Have a good night, and may the goddess watch over you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations!:
> 
> Saltavas: You have danced  
Ventus! Orire!: Wind! Arise!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which plot FINALLY POPS UP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, canon divergence stuff: the last canon mission was the gautier estate, and after that, no canon missions have been taken until now, after the White Heron Ball.
> 
> This means that Rumors of a Reaper happens AFTER you get a dancer in this timeline. This is not the only change, but it's the most noticeable.

Dedue started his next day by helping Caspar weed the grounds.

“So,” Caspar drawled, a smirk on his face. “Is it true that Dimitri tries to eat the weeds?”

“I have no idea if that statement is true or not.” Dedue lied, sharply remembering the horror he felt as he saw Dimitri stick a fistful of weeds in his mouth. “Please get back to work.”

* * *

“Professor,” Dimitri said, standing in between Byleth and Sylvain as the Blue Lions gathered in the classroom. “Do you know what our mission is for this month?”

“I hope it’s more interesting than these past ones!” 

“I agree, it’s not befitting of a man of Gloucester lineage to only be dealing with novice bandits.”

Felix grinned at the thought of going into battle again, the tip of his training sword dancing through the air by his side. Ingrid stuck her lance in the way of the sword as Annette fell in front of the duo, Ashe clumsily catching her.

“I just hope we are able to help those in need.” Mercedes proclaimed. Dedue nodded as he looked over at Dorothea and Linhardt fretting around Mihail as he squinted, probably going through one of his famous migraines.

“We actually will be helping the monastery this month.” Byleth stated, “We’re tasked to help investigate the Death Knight.”

“Oooh! Lady Rhea and my brother have been working diligently to try and stop the Death Knight.” Flayn said. “There are many leads and suspects, so there should be lots of ground to cover.”

“Alright then,” Dimitri said, “We should split up and ask everywhere. Leave no stone unturned. Let us start tomorrow.” 

* * *

That night, Dedue is shaken from his sleep by both his own nightmares, recollections of Duscur going up in flames, and a knock on his door. Grunting, he got up and made his way to open the door to see Mihail.

Dedue took one look at his classmate, his normally braided hair undone and messy, before pulling him into a hug, the two standing in the doorframe. _ “Doles, Mihal?” _

_ “Dolens et non recordor mei gentem.” _Mihail sobbed. Dedue took a few steps into the room, giving the two privacy as they sit on the floor.

After some time, Dedue speaks. _ “Recordarisne virem principem et mariti?” _

“Yes.” Mihail’s voice was tired and shaky as he answered.

_ “Ei soror?” _

“Yes.”

_ “Ei soror est-” _ Dedue grimaces, _ “erat mater tui.” _

Another beat of silence passes, the room quiet except for the breathing of the two men, spending their night clinging to a culture that neither can fully access. 

Mihail spoke next. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Dedue said, _ “Curamus pro vita.” _

_ “Curamus pro vita.” _ Mihail repeated, a tiny smile appearing on his face as he did so. “Thanks. I just had the migraine all day, then these nightmares, and it all just-” He sighed. “Do you mind if I quickly fix my hair?”

“No. You know where the mirror is.” Mihail’s smile grew as he stood up, grabbing a comb and getting to work taming his hair.

Dedue calmly allowed the man to work through his hair, parting and braiding the many lines that made up his normal hairstyle. The two end up talking about their studies and classmates while Mihail styles his hair.

“So, how has dance practice been?”

“It is-” Dedue finds himself fumbling for the word. “Awkward. Fodlan dances feel stiff and formal.”

Mihail shrugs. “You could always ask Dimitri if it’s alright to use a Duscurum style of dancing.”

“I don’t want to put that burden on His Highness.”

“A bur-” The shorter Duscurus gagged at the thought. _ “Dedus, dicebas verbam insanam.” _

The two started laughing, memories of past arguments and verbal spats in Duscur, most of which ended in near the exact same words. They sat in a comfortable silence as Mihail finished braiding his hair. “You are thinking too much. Especially like you are truly undeserving of love.”

Dedue chose not to respond to those words, wondering how true those words were. “Do you mind giving me a braid?”

“I don’t.” Mihail smiled softly as Dedue sat in front of him, picking a section of hair near the vassal’s temple to braid.

“Do you want me to walk you to your room when you leave?” The vassal asked as Mihail’s dexterous fingers made quick work through the braid.

“No, you shouldn’t have to,” Mihail answered, tying off the end of the braid. “My room is 1 floor above yours, door always locked so assassins don’t sneak in.” 

“You have listened to Petra far too much. Stay safe.” Dedue hummed, feeling Mihail get up behind him. _ “Amo te, bonum amicum mei.” _

_ “Iuro manere cum amicos.” _

The door closes behind Mihail and Dedue later finds sleep again, waking up the next morning as if nothing has changed.

* * *

Class that day is business as usual, everyone spending time studying their secondary subjects. Dedue was currently sitting at the side of the training arena, watching Ingrid attempt to hold her own against Dimitri, Sylvain lightly sparring Felix, and Ashe practicing his archery, Caspar deflecting his arrows with gauntlets.

Dedue picked up his own gauntlets, seeing Felix quickly dispatch the redhead and fix his stance, ready to go again. The two start sparring trading blows and deflecting strikes, a dance that Dedue understands better than he had at any Faerghus ball. As swings clash again, he hears Dimitri calling for him. “Dedue, can you come here for a minute?”

Felix swung even harder, angry about his sparring session being cut short. Dedue caught the blade between the ones on his own gauntlet and shoved him away, walking over to where Dimitri and Mercedes were standing.

“Dedue, have you seen Mihail?” Mercedes asked. “Dorothea and I have a few questions to ask about how he studies magic, and he’s not in class.”

“Did you try his room?”

“Well, no.” Mercedes frowned as she spoke. “His door was locked and he didn’t answer when we knocked.” 

“It sounds like he’s going through another migraine.” Dimitri said, a thoughtful look on his face. Dedue couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong.

“No way.” Sylvain interjected, “Mihail would fight the Professor in a swordfight while going through one of his migraines. He wouldn’t miss class for it.”

Ashe spoke up. “Maybe he’s in the infirmary?”

“Nope.” Dorothea sauntered up, a sad smile on her face. “I just went to visit Manuela and he was nowhere in sight. She says she hasn’t seen him either. Something about one of the cleaner records in the monastery…”

“What is happening here?” Byleth stepped over, their face showing passive confusion.

“Professor.” Dimitri bowed as he spoke. “We are just trying to figure out where Mihail might be.”

An eyebrow raised. “He’s missing?”

“Not missing!” Dorothea claimed, “Just, temporarily residing in whereabouts unknown.”

“Alright. Has anyone checked his room?”

Dedue grimaced, his brain still blank about what felt wrong. “His door is locked.”

“Ashe? We’re going on a field trip.” The professor smirked, turning around to lead the group of students to the door in question.

* * *

As Ashe started working on the lock, Dedue finally realized what had been gnawing at him through the entire walk over. “Professor. Mihail only locks his room when he’s not inside of it.”

Byleth froze, the implications of what the vassal said hitting them. They quickly got their bearings. “Change of plans. Ashe, you still pick the lock. Dimitri and Ingrid, check the classrooms. Sylvain, stables. Felix, fishing pond, greenhouse, and marketplace. Annette, dining and entrance halls. Mercedes, cathedral. Caspar, 2nd floor. Dorothea, Dedue, and I will check Mihail’s room. Keep all eyes peeled.” They sighed, opening their mouth to speak again before being interrupted by a panicking Seteth.

“Professor, have you seen Flayn?!”

“She was in class this morning.” Ingrid told the man.

“Yes,I know that, but I have just walked through this entire monastery to look for her and-”

“It’s alright.” Byleth said. “We’ll keep an eye out for Flayn while we look for Mihail.”

Seteth paled. “A student has gone missing as well? Oh dear, Lady Rhea will not like this-” The man power walked away, muttering under his breath as Byleth put their plan into motion, the Blue Lions spreading out to hunt for their own.

* * *

“No one has seen either Flayn or Mihail.” Ingrid said matter-of-factly. “They’re missing.”

“Maybe they’re just outside of the monastery right now.” Caspar suggested.

Annette frowned. “Flayn isn’t allowed to go without Seteth’s permission, and Mihail would let someone know he was going outside of the walls.”

“So, you’re saying that Mihail and Flayn are in the monastery, yet no one can find them?” Felix grumbled, nonchalantly sitting in his chair. “The next thing you’ll say is that they disappeared into thin air.”

Dedue gave the cavalier a look, trying to remember where Mihail might have been. Mercedes and Annette were pouring over a map of the monastery, trying to see if there was any place where they missed in their search.

“That’s not funny Felix.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be, you boar. It’s more probable that this has something to do with the Death Knight.” The swordsman said.

“Why?” Ingrid asked. “Do you think they found anything?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me.” Felix said, “Jeritza has been suspicious, he wasn’t at the training yard today. Maybe it’s because he took them.”

Ingrid raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Gilbert has been staying around the Blue Lions classroom-”

“It’s not him.” Annette and Dimitri interjected at the same time. Ingrid visibly withdrew from the conversation.

“Leonie told me about Tomas asking about Flayn, Mihail, and Jeralt.” Lorenz declared, taking a sip from his mug.

“He’s by the graveyard.” Sylvain said, throwing a wink in Byleth’s direction. “I’ll ask him about that for you, Professor.”

“Flayn and Mihail both have interesting crests.” Linhardt yawned, Caspar’s elbow keeping him awake. “I remember Hanneman talking about how the major crest of Cethleanne was very rare, and that Mihail had the first known crest of Macuil.”

“So Sylvain should also check in with Hanneman.” Dimitri said, taking notes on a piece of parchment now.

“I can ask Manuela what she may know.” Dorothea said, “She was leaving the infirmary when I checked it earlier, so I’ll just see why she was in such a rush.” 

Dedue spoke up. “Someone needs to talk to Catherine and Shamir. Alois too, I can ask him while he’s by the fishing pond.”

A silence ran through the room after Dedue spoke, the only noise being the scratching of Dimitri’s quill as he finished his notes. “I can ask Catherine and Shamir. If we move quickly, we should be able to get a better understanding of the situation.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?!” Caspar dashed out of the room, Ashe quickly following the brawler as the rest of the house made their way to their respective posts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations!
> 
> Doles, Mihal? - Are you in pain, Mihail?
> 
> Dolens et non recordor mei gentem. - I am in pain and I can't remember my family.
> 
> Recordarisne virem principem et mariti? - Do you remember the husband of the chief?
> 
> Ei soror? - His sister?
> 
> Ei soror est- -erat mater tui. - His sister is- -was your mother.
> 
> Curamus pro vita. - We care for life. Colloquially used as a way to let people know you're here for them.
> 
> Dedus, dicebas verbam insanam. - Dedue, you have said words with no sense.
> 
> Amo te, bonum amicum mei. - I love you, my good friend. Colloquially used as a send-off, a blessing for safe travel.
> 
> Iuro manere cum amicos. - I swear to remain with friends. Colloquially used as a way to say you will be careful, try to be safe.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big thanks to equiuszahhax for their comments and helpful latin edits... you're the only person stopping me from putting "no beta we die like Glenn" as a tag and I thank you for it.
> 
> also, there is a lot of more mechanical/in game stats of Mihail on the story included in this series, if you want to take a look at that

“It has to be Jeritza.” Sylvain whispered during dinner, Dedue watching the Blue Lions pass the word down the table. “He’s the only one who’s not accounted for.”

“Alois has the pond,” Ingrid said, “Catherine and Shamir were on a mission, Gilbert-”

“Not him.”

“-had seen the Death Knight, Hanneman was in the library with Tomas, and Manuela has gone missing.” She finished recounting the situation even past Annette’s interjection.

“What makes you so sure that Jeritza is the Death Knight?” Lorenz asked, twirling a fork in his hands. “We have no idea about Manuela’s whereabouts.”

“Please,” Dorothea laughed, “I’ve known her for far longer than you all have. She’s more likely to actually score with a man before she becomes the Death Knight.”

“Besides,” Sylvain said, “We have proof of Jeritza sneaking around at night. Catherine told us she saw him.”

“Alright, say it is Jeritza.” Linhardt supplied, “What do we do next? Search his room?”

Caspar rolled his eyes. “Obviously!”

Dimitri knocked the bottom of his glass against the table, grabbing the Blue Lions’ attention. “Whatever we do, we do it tomorrow. Time is obviously of the essence.” The prince looked up and down the table, sizing up his classmates. “If you need to do upkeep on your weapons and armor, I suggest you do that before turning in for the night, just in case we need to fight tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded, people starting to get up to return their plates as dinner resumed, the brief strategy meeting over as quickly as it had started.

* * *

Dedue answers a knock on his door to find Annette and Mercedes standing in the hallway, a sad smile on both of their faces. 

“Hey Dedue!” Annette says, an arm around her girlfriend’s waist. “Mercie and I just wanted to check on you, see if you were alright.”

“I am fine.” Dedue hears himself lie, having been on autopilot ever since the disaster that was his questioning of Alois. He can tell that Mercedes doesn’t fully believe him, but he quickly moves on. “Is that all?”

“Well,” Mercedes said, “I do have a few questions about Duscurum.”

“Yeah! I just want to know a few phrases and words.”

Dedue finds himself smiling as he invites the two in, already wondering how quickly Annette will take to the language. “I suggest you take decent notes, it’s a very dense language.”

* * *

Before they go into battle, Dedue finds a corner of the cathedral that is relatively less decorated with devotions to the goddess and kneels, chants for the rising flame and the god of wind springing forth from his mind and out of his lips. 

The chant is low, a near subvocalization as he speaks the words of safety, first for Flayn through the rising flame, the general proprietor of life and rebirth, the one responsible for the rushing of blood and the beating of hearts, the glow of the flames most likely mirroring the glow of Flayn’s smile. The second is for Mihail through the god of wind, the zephyr that protected and was a part of his family, the messenger of the world, the wispy movements promising good weather and safety, an inconsistent stability in life much like the _ vir Duscuri _.

As he finishes, he accidentally makes eye contact with Seteth as the man finishes his own prayers. He finds himself walking by Seteth’s side as they start to make their way out of the holy building and away from the hallowed statues.

Seteth clears his throat before he speaks. “I want to say thank you for attempting to rescue Flayn.”

“It is no issue.” Dedue says. “We think that we have found where Flayn and Mihail are.”

“Really?” Seteth said, hope coloring his tone. “That’s… That’s amazing. Are you going to go…” His voice dies out, the obvious question still on his face.

Dedue nods. “Yes. We leave in an hour.” He actually has to go change out of his student uniform and meet with the others soon, look over his tomes and weapons before they actually look into Jeritza’s room.

Seteth sighed in relief. “That’s good.” There was a silence as they passed the threshold of the cathedral, two concerned men wondering about the people close to them.

* * *

It’s when Dedue has finished gathering his items when he hears a knock on the door. “Dedue?”

“Hello Dorothea.” He glances at the door to see her, already dressed and holding her tomes, a curious expression on her face. “Is everything alright?”

She nodded her head. “It is. I just- How are you doing?” 

Dedue respects her forwardness and concern, placing his axe into a holster around his waist. “I am alright.”

“That’s good.” Dorothea said, “Do you mind walking with me to the classroom?”

“No.” Dedue grabs his tomes, holding them under his arm. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.” He followed Dorothea as the two started casually making their way across the monastery.

They make their way to the classroom in silence, the breeze of the wind the only noise between them as they open the door and find themselves in the empty classroom.

Dorothea breaks the silence as Dedue is changing behind a screen. “What’s a fact about Mihail that a lot of people don’t know?”

The question takes him off guard, freezing in place as he was tying his robe. After a few moments, a thought that slipped his mind a moon ago resurfaces, and he shares it with the songstress. “He just turned 18 a few months ago.” Dorothea maintains a respectful silence, as Dedue takes a deep breath before he continues. “He still hasn’t danced his family’s great dance.”

“Oh.” There is a soft sadness in Dorothea’s voice as she reacts, Dedue quickly finishing with his robes and stepping out from behind the screen. “That seems very important. How does it work?”

“It is a rite of passage in Duscur:” Dedue finds himself explaining, talking about his home easier after sharing it with many others. “Once a person turns 18, if they are physically able to, they do the great dance for their family.” 

Dorothea smiles. “That sounds amazing. How was yours?”

Dedue froze, the realization that **he** never had his own great dance ringing in his head. His shock must have been visible on his face, because Dorothea frowned. 

“I’m so sorry Dedie, I didn’t know.” 

Dedue shook his head. “That’s fine. It just reminds me that I would like to have a great dance of my own.” 

“Well, I would love to see you both perform. I’ll feel like you two would be showstopping” She says, a small smile slowly appearing on her face. “I’ll help you prepare anything you need for it after we get him and Flayn back.”

Dedue finds himself smiling back. “Thank you.”

* * *

The underground chamber was dark and ominous, small drops of water dripping from the damp ceiling and onto the party. The battle was very quick, Felix and Sylvain moving quickly with Annette’s battalion to strike down the Death Knight. The dark figure was teleported away as he threatened the house, the Flame Emperor’s calm, nearly lethargic stature off-putting and distracting as he spoke words of warning before also vanishing in a flash of magic.

As soon as his brain processed the lack of danger in the area, Dedue surged forwards, kneeling next to Linhardt, Ashe, and the missing students: Linhardt casting healing and revitalization spells and Ashe working on picking the locks that kept them chained to the area. Flayn and another female student only seemed to be lethargic and scraped up, both of them becoming more and more alert, Flayn almost immediately leaping into Byleth’s arms when she was freed. Dedue gravitated towards Mihail, moving to lightly pick the man up after Ashe picked the locks. Mihail seemed to stir with a hiss of pain, a hand quickly moving to clutch his side. Dedue lightly shifted his grip, taking stress off of the now obvious wound, the blood dried on the side of Mihail’s sleeping tunic.

Mercedes appeared next to him, faith magic settling around the injured male. Mihail’s eyes fluttered open and he made eye contact with Dedue, a smile on his face before he started coughing.

The rest of the house quickly encircled the group, Byleth giving orders as they held Flayn in their arms. After a few brief moments, they started to move, Dedue finding himself leading the group with Mihail in his arms, Sylvain and Byleth behind him with the others.

* * *

“They all should be just fine.” Linhardt said, calmly taking his seat during the dinner that day with a yawn. “Hanneman just had to treat Flayn and Monica for magical fatigue-”

“Monica?”

“Monica is a former Black Eagles student.” Dorothea explained to Ingrid, “She randomly disappeared last year. I’m glad that she’s back and safe, it was such a fright to hear that my first couple of weeks here-”

Linhardt cleared his throat, Dorothea throwing him a playfully scathing look as she went quiet. “I did have to help him with treating Manuela and Mihail. Manuela was easier, she just had a stab wound, the blood was already handled by the time we got out of the chamber.”

Mercedes put down her fork, her plate empty. “How is Mihail?”

“Mihail is alright. Though,” Linhardt leanes in, lowering his voice so that the other tables couldn’t hear. “There is a peculiar result. His crest is major now.”

The table went silent, the words fully sinking in before Annette spoke up. “His crest changed? Can crests do that?” 

“Lysithea has two crests: my own and Charon’s.” Lorenz supplied, his face slightly paler than normal. “What’s to say that Mihail’s can’t change?”

“It is the only recorded crest of Macuil.” Sylvain said, “Even if it was minor. Maybe crests involved with the saints just behave differently.”

“But Mihail isn’t descended from Macuil, no one is.” Ingrid said. “Only Cethleann, Cichol, and Seiros had descendants.”

“But then why does the Professor have the Crest of Flames?” Dimitri asked, “The goddess didn’t have any children.”

“Maybe it is not through bloodline alone.” Dedue said offhandedly, “Maybe it is by some other factor too.”

“That makes no sense.” Felix snapped, “What would the other factor be? We already have research to prove that lineage is a strong part of determining crests.”

“But Mihail breaks that rule. And now that I think about it, isn’t it weird that Lysithea has two crests?” Sylvain asked, “The Gloucesters and the Charons-”

“Haven’t been in good graces for a while, yes. But they are related families.”

“The Ordelia family is an Empire family though.” Linhardt said, sleepily swirling his spoon through his soup. “The Charon connection is obvious, but the Gloucester connection is shoddy at best.”

“Whatever it is, it’s not important right now.” Mercedes stated, getting up from the table. “We should check on our friends’ health.”

“Yeah. Let’s go now, Mercie.” Annette agrees, finishing up her cake and quickly following Mercedes.

* * *

Dedue finds himself in the infirmary the very next day, walking in through the door to watch the usual “cage match” between Hanneman and Manuela, the latter still bandaged and in the bed. He ignored the two, used to the noise like any other student in the Officer’s Academy.

He instead made his way over to the next bed, taking a seat next to where Mihail was, a smirk on the mage’s face. _ “Advenerat!” _

“You are insufferable.”

“You wouldn’t want anything less, would you?” Mihail’s smirk grew into a genuine smile as the two hugged, a slight hiss escaping his lips at the pressure on his side. The staring contest the two were immediately in, Dedue’s eyes inquisitive and concerning while Mihail’s were defensive.

“How hurt are you?”

“I’m not hurt at all.” Dedue gave him a look, and Mihail relented. “Alright, my whole body is sore, and my head and side feel like they got pierced through with a lance. But other than that, I’m fi-” 

Dedue quickly caught the man as he fell forward, clutching his head as a migraine suddenly hit him. _ “Mihal!” _

The outburst brought Hanneman over to the bed, immediately working on his patient, well-practiced and consistent faith spells entering the air. Dedue went back to his chair, watching with concern as the professor worked Mihail through his migraine. 

It feels like many moments later when Mihail’s coherent and drinking water, the bulk of the migraine passed. “That’s embarrassing. Sorry for scaring you.”

“Mihail,” Dedue asks, his tone serious and concerned. “Are you truly okay?”

  
Mihail smiles, an expression that closely relates to a grimace in Dedue’s eyes. _ “Nocte horis dixerimus.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation:  
vir Duscuri - man of Duscur  
Advenerat! - He's arrived!  
Nocte horis dixerimus. - We will talk in the night hours.


	6. Chapter 6

Dedue is smiling at a joke Dimitri has said when Mihail takes a seat next to him, a smirk on his face.  _ “Salve, Dedus. Videris capi morbo amoris.” _

Sylvain, as always, is attracted to the language of Duscur, sliding along the table until he nearly bumps shoulders with Mihail. “Hey Mihail-”

“How much?”

Dedue notices Sylvain’s expression, the disbelief on the redhead’s face palpable. “Excuse me?”

“How much will you pay me to teach you Duscurum.” Mihail isn’t even looking at Sylvain while the noble is sweating bullets, the entire table now watching the interaction with varying reactions. 

“I- How much do you want.”

“I’ll tell you my prices later.”

* * *

It’s only later that day, in the middle of training, when Dedue actually process the words from breakfast while rolling under Felix’s sword. He holds up his training gauntlet to catch the next swing as he feels his face get even warmer. The blow feels stronger than normal, and Dedue stumbles as the Fraldarius crest lights up the air.

For a moment, Dedue wonders about the power of crests, remembering the many times he’s seen other classmates’ crests in battle: Annette and Mercedes smiling as their spells formed behind them instead of from their hands, Ingrid and Sylvain hitting harder when attacking with a stronger swing, Dimitri’s spear ripping through armor as if it was paper, and Mihail’s magic sparking with a stronger will as it slammed into enemies. For a moment, Dedue finds himself wondering about the power of crests, how the nobility system of Faerghus and mainland Fodlan work with it.

He then shakes his head and gets up, quickly lunging at Felix and getting two strong punches in. Byleth calls off the training exercise before Felix can attempt to rip Dedue’s head off of his shoulders.

* * *

Dedue sits next to Dimitri during dinner, Mihail whispering into the prince’s ear, a smile on both of their faces. “Please stop corrupting His Highness.”

“Do not worry Dedue,” Dimitri said, “Mihail is just telling me about some ideas for the next rest day.”

Dedue raised an eyebrow, still concerned about what Dimitri had been told. “That’s what worries me.”

Annette and Mercedes giggled as they took their seats, hand in hand. Mercedes looked at the group across the table and asked, “What’s so worrying?”

“It’s nothing Mercedes.” Mihail said, backing up from the prince. “Care for a herring?”

“Oh, I would love some! Thank you Mihail!” 

Dedue looks over the whole table, everyone simply eating now, before shaking his head with a smile and joining them.

* * *

It’s when he’s stalking away from Felix that evening, insulted at the question posed at him does he run into both Mihail and Ashe as they leave the greenhouse, and Dedue can feel his anger pouring out of his eyes.

Luckily, Mihail catches him first, a concerned look on his face.  _ “Quis confecerat vitium?” _

Dedue rolled his eyes, not quite caring about how he looked right now.  _ “Vitium confectum est Fele.” _

Mihail’s face scrunches up and Ashe looks disgusted. “Felix?” The archer asks, “What did he do now?”

Dedue skips over Ashe’s apparent comprehension of what he just said, switching back into Fodlan’s tongue. “He asked me if I would commit genocide on Dimitri’s behalf.”

Mihail sighs and Ashe looks like he just swallowed a rather nasty tincture.  _ “Iste-” _

“Let’s not curse him out.”

“Are you alright?” Ashe asks, his gray eyes quickly scanning Dedue. “I’ll straighten him out later, but do you need anything? Tea, cookies, flowers?”

“Do we still have any ginger?”

Ashe smiles as he hands over a bundle of the plant, Dedue immediately pocketing it before thanking the archer.

“It’s no issue.” Ashe said, shaking his head. “I’ve actually been wanting to talk to a few people about how they treat you two-” 

“Ugh. I just had the most awkward conversation with someone in my battalion” Mihail interjected. “She rejected my healing because I ‘still couldn’t be trusted’”.

“Well, it looks like this will have to be a house wide meeting. I’ll tell Dimi-”

Dedue felt his heart seize in his throat. “You can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Ashe asked, “This is a problem throughout all of the Kingdom, the prince should be aware of it.”

Mihail sighed. “It’s not time yet,  _ homo novus _ . Why do you think Claude, Petra, and Cyril never mention when people say things about them?”

“So, we can’t do anything about it?”

“Not exactly. We just have to be more cunning about it. Label it as an issue of morale than an issue of close mindedness.” Mihail explained, starting to pull the archer away with a pointed look to Dedue.

Dedue got the message Mihail was trying to send him and sighed as he started making his way to Dimitri’s room, getting ready to tell him about what had happened today.

* * *

Dimitri did not look happy, pacing around his room after Dedue spoke. “I can not believe the attitudes of some people.”

Dedue truly couldn’t believe that this was still surprising to the prince after literal years of the same behavior. “It is troublesome Your Highness. If you want to address it, I would wait to ask Mihail on how to do so.”

“I will”. Dimitri nods, taking a seat on the bed next to his vassal head in his hands. “Every time I think we’re getting better…”

“Your Highness, we just fought against survivors of the Tragedy of Duscur so they wouldn’t be murdered by the Kingdom’s army,” Dedue said calmly, “If we’ve made any progress, we have also reversed it.”

“Sadly. Although,” Dimitri turned to face Dedue, a serious look on his face. “I must ask you about what Felix said. Would-”

Revulsion shot through Dedue’s veins.“Absolutely not. I am here to make sure you are safe and well. If you called for a slaughter, I would have already failed.”

“Huh. That’s a lovely sentiment.” Dimitri said, “Thank you for being honest.”

“It is no problem, Your Highness.”

“Please. Call me Dimitri.”

* * *

That night, after speaking to Dimitri and planning to post a notice on the Blue Lions’ announcement board, Dedue found himself following along with the spite radiating off of Mihail. Which is why he was currently helping the man smuggle yards of different colored fabric from one of the many storage areas. “Why did I let you talk me into this?”

“Because you want to stick it to the horrible people here?” Mihail said, as if it was obvious. “Even if we’re gonna do all of this in your room.”

“Do you have the scissors and thread?”

  
“Of course,  _ meus frater _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salve, Dedus. Videris capi morbo amoris. - Hello Dedue, You seem to be siezed by the sickness of love. (You're lovesick/Colloquially used to tease people over their crushes)
> 
> Quis confecerat vitium? - Who has completed the crime/transgression. (Colloquially used for "What's wrong?", "Who wronged you?")
> 
> Vitium confectum est Fele. - The transgression was completed by Felix.
> 
> Hopefully we've figured out that meus frater means my brother...... but know that this is used as a term of endearment.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, so like I had a few thoughts about the actual canon of fe3h when it comes to duscur and how dedue is written and you know what?
> 
> we're changing that. it will be slow, but it will happen

During class the next day, Dedue couldn’t help but worry when Seteth calmly walks into the room and guides Mihail out after talking to Byleth. The professor’s face remains impassive as they teach, and it’s only at lunch when the house sees Mihail sitting at their table and choose to collectively ambush him.

“So, what did Seteth want from you?” Sylvain asked as he sat down.

“Oh, hello Sylvain, how are you doing Sylvain, Seteth just guided me to a meeting with the Archbishop Sylvain, pass the potatoes-”

“The archbishop?” Ingrid repeated, a frown on her face. “Why would she want to meet with you?”

Dorothea handed over the plate of potatoes. “Was anyone else there?”

“Seteth and Flayn joined us part way through.” Mihail explained, grabbing a potato and rubbing his temple: a clear sign he was about to get a migraine. Dedue pulled out the enchanted bandage that Mihail had him carry now and held it out to the man. Mihail took it and continued speaking. “I don’t remember the specific details, but my journal should have the general topics in it.”

Ashe’s fingers quickly pulled the book out of the bag and flipped to the correct spot before Lorenz snatched it up and started inspecting it. “What does ‘slither’ mean?”

Mihail frowned. “I’d rather not talk about it. Migraine and all.”

“Are you alright?” Mercedes asked.

“I’ll check later.” Mihail shoveled a forkful of food in his mouth. “Can’t cast omnipotence on myself. I’m also pretty hungry.”

“We can talk about this later.” Dimitri said, “Right now, we should probably eat and get ready for our next class.”

* * *

There was a quiet sense of fear as the house witnessed Ferdinand join the class, taking a seat next to Lorenz. The two nobles gave a friendly wave to each other, precocious and long pleasantries being exchanged as easily as they breathed air.

Dorothea’s eyes widened and Dedue heard her as she whispered to Linhardt and Caspar. “There’s two of them!? Why are there two of them!?”

Linhardt yawned while Caspar gave her a confused look. “How did you not figure that out?”

* * *

“So,” Ashe started as he helped Dedue in the greenhouse, “what are the main gods of Duscur?”

Dedue smiled as he tended to the flowers. “Well, there are a few major deities, like the saints of the goddess. There’s the rising flame, the goddess of river, the god of wind, the goddess of the earth…” His voice faded out as he started thinking about the many deities, whispers of his mother’s voice as she would tell him about their mythos. “Those are the few that shape a good portion of Duscurum belief.”

Ashe was smiling as Dedue spoke. “That’s really amazing. And you pray to all of those?”

“Well,” Dedue said, “A family would generally take one deity for daily prayer. Then you pray to the others when you need their help. My family followed the goddess of the earth. You would usually greet a person with their family name and the deity of their family.”

“So, you would be Dedue Molinaro…”

_ “Terra. Molinaro Terra.” _

Ashe was quiet for a few moments, mouthing the words over and over again before he smiled.  _ “Salve-”  _ he paused,  _ “Dedus Molinaro Terra.” _

Dedue looked at the archer, an eyebrow raised before he spoke.  _ “Salve, Asher Ubert. Es vir bonus.” _

* * *

Dedue entered Mihail’s room that night to find Claude there, braiding the Duscurus’ hair as the two of them talk to each other, their backs facing him. He hears very little, but Mihail’s voice playfully saying:  _ “Meus dulcis caelum.” _ Claude responded in another tongue, one that Dedue couldn’t recognize, but Mihail seemed to understand, responding with a simple,  _ “Amo te.” _

Dedue can’t help but feel like he’s intruding on a private moment, so he turns away and clears his throat, hearing the two men react and move. Claude walked out of the door a minute later, winking at Dedue as he did so.

As he walked into Mihail’s room again, he noted the strained smile on his friend’s face. Mihail sighed, pouring a cup of tea from an already warm kettle and holding out the mug.  _ “Noli hoc dicere.” _

Dedue took the mug and sipped it, nodding his head.  _ “Ille est tuus dulcis caelum. Non dico quendam malum eo.” _

Mihail blushed, the kettle thumping on the ground as he set it down roughly. _“Tace!”_

_ “Cur lege Claudium?” _

“Why not?” Mihail said, crossing his arms.  _ “Est sapiens. Est laetus. Facit mei laetum.” _

Dedue nods.  _ “Sum laetus tibi.” _

A silence passes as the two drink their tea. Mihail sighed as he set his down. “I’ve been thinking about something. Ever since the rebellion. What has been done about Duscur?”

“Nothing.”

“And what have I done for you?” Mihail lamented. “The same.”

“That is not true.” Dedue looked over to his friend, sitting down on the ground. “You have done far more for me than anyone else here has.”

Mihail facepalmed. “And I was still stupid enough to keep on insinuating-”

“You didn’t know. I am not ashamed to be seen with a man-”

“I’m ashamed to think that you and Dimitri would be a good couple. You’re his…” Mihail trails off, the word eluding him.

“Vassal.” Dedue supplies, trying not to laugh at Mihail’s words. “Do you want to work on the festival clothes?”

Mihail smirks as he catches Dedue’s attempt to change the subject. “Sure. Where’s the fabric?”

* * *

During free time the next day, Dedue watched as Claude, Cyril, Mihail, Petra, and Shamir walked into the greenhouse, put together the table they carried, and set it with food. Claude looked over as Dedue watched from afar and winked. “Feel like joining us? Mihail wants you to critique his Duscur cuisine.”

“Claude!”

Dedue chuckled at the scene in front of him as he took off his gloves, making his way over to the table and taking a seat next to Petra. “So what’s this for?”

“Seteth said I needed to find something to do that wasn’t part of the church.” Cyril said, glaring at Claude as the archer piled food onto his plate. “Claude overheard him and decided that I needed to get back in touch with Almyran culture.”

“I would appreciate it if we don’t let that little bit of information leave this group by the way.” Claude quickly stated, now moving back to his own plate. “But either way, I had the idea, I told Mihail-”

“I had overhearing them and tell Shamir about the events.” Petra said, placing a desert from Brigid on Cyril’s plate. 

Shamir filled up Cyril’s glass. “And I made sure that Cyril actually showed up. We have a good hour before he has to go complete another task.”

“Great!” Mihail said, putting some food on his own plate. “That’s just enough time for the first meeting of the ‘Not From Fodlan’ club.”

Dedue and Shamir shared a look of confusion before they faced Mihail, Dedue aware of the question written on his face.

Petra smiled. “Is that the title of working?” 

“Yep. Working title.” Mihail said, quickly picking up his fork. “Let’s go with that.”

Cyril rolled his eyes, muttering something in Almyran. Claude’s head immediately snapped over as he bit back, their argument sounding musical. 

Shamir smirked. “That sounds heated.”

“It’s nothing.” The two Almyrans said at the same time, still glaring at each other. Petra giggled at them, the smile in her eyes telling Dedue that she knew exactly what they were saying. He felt himself smile as he finished putting together his own plate, taking a bite out of the food with some of the strongest feelings of comfort settling in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Salve, Asher Ubert. Es vir bonus.” - Hello, Ashe Ubert. You are a good man.
> 
> “Meus dulcis caelum.” - My sweet heaven/cloud/sky.
> 
> “Amo te.” - I love you.
> 
> “Noli hoc dicere.” - Do not talk about this.
> 
> “Ille est tuus dulcis caelum. Non dico quendam malum eo.” - He is your sweet heaven/cloud/sky. I can not talk bad about him.
> 
> “Tace!” - Be quiet!
> 
> “Cur lege Claudium?” - Why choose Claude?
> 
> “Est sapiens. Est laetus. Facit mei laetum.” - He's smart/wise. He's happy. He makes me happy.
> 
> “Sum laetus tibi.” - I am happy for you


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, enjoy the chapter, and don't be afraid to comment

Dedue spent his night working on some equations for reason magic. He heard Mihail playing his lyre, working through the melodies of songs from their childhood.  _ “Convenite, viatores-” _

_ “Legete pomum et abeunt-”  _ A knock on the door interrupted the two as they started singing, a glance at the door showing that Lorenz was standing there, somehow both awkward and dignified in his stature.

“Claude will be here shortly to tell you this again,” he said, “but apparently the Golden Deer and the Blue Lions will be training together tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Dedue asked, thinking about the eclectic group of students that made up the house. “That’s interesting. Do you know why?”

Lorenz sighed. “No. It seems to have come out of nowhere. I think this is a cruel torture specifically for me.”

Claude sauntered into the door frame, a smirk on his face. “Aw, Lorenz, I didn’t know I had such an affect on you!”

Mihail chuckled, and Dedue turned back to his work. He heard Lorenz sputter in indignation as the duo left, and the two men from Duscur went back to their tasks.

* * *

Breakfast with the Golden Deers was an interesting affair. Hilda seemed to take relish in her ability to wind up Sylvain and Caspar, not even lifting a finger to get the two to cater to her every need. Linhardt seemed to be annoyed by the noise, not able to sleep as Raphael shouted throughout the meal. Marianne was practically a statue as Dorothea and Mercedes tried to talk to her. Annette gushed over Ignatz’s doodles she was holding as he sketched out the entire table in front of him. 

Lysithea looked like she was used to the chaos. As annoyed as she was by all of it.

Dedue was halfway through his own meal when Mihail took a seat next to him, squinting against the morning light.  _ “Salve.” _

_ “Salve.” _ Mihail grumbled, pulling a plate of food close to him and starting to eat.  _ “Doleo.” _

Dedue grabbed a glass of water and placed it in front of him.  _ “Unda?” _

Mihail took the glass and drained it, a smile on his face. “Thanks Dedue-” His voice died out as he looked across the table, and Dedue followed his eyes to Lysithea. Mihail looked even shakier than he had a few moments earlier. “Hey, Lysithea?”

“Yes?” The young mage looked up.

“Is that your natural hair color?” Lysithea’s face twisted at Mihail’s question, eyes suddenly narrowing in focus. 

“No, this isn’t my natural hair color.” She stated, her tone cautious. “Why were you asking?”

“I was just wondering.” Mihail said, looking back at his plate. “My hair is pretty light when I forget to dye it-”

“It’s dyed?!” Sylvain interjected, having caught on to Hilda’s game and finally sitting down.

Mihail sighed, ducking his head and pointing at a tiny patch of white near the end of one of his braids.

“That’s a pretty light patch. My hair was pretty dark before it became this white.” Lysithea said, looking over at Mihail with a curious look in her eyes. “Is yours naturally that light?”

Mihail gave her a curious look back. “No, it was originally black like I dye it.”

Dedue was confused by the exchange between the two mages, glancing around the table to find the same look of confusion on everyone else’s face as Lysithea nodded and lit up her crests. Mihail lit up his own crest. Lysithea gave a quick glance to Dedue and Mihail shook his head. The two shared another look, this one indecipherable, before they went back to their respective meals.

“No one talks about this.” Lysithea said, glaring down the table to cement her point.

* * *

“So, Teach, how are we doing this?” Claude asked as the two houses found themselves behind the hill of a bandit’s enclosure.

Dedue watched as Byleth peaked over the hill, taking stock of the scene before them before they ducked down. “There are no magic users, so Dorothea, Lorenz, Lysithea, Mihail, and Annette, you all take point. Dedue, Mercedes, Marianne, and Linhardt are on support. Everyone else fill in where you can be seen. Don’t overextend.”

Claude nodded. “Got it.” He and Dimitri turned around and went down the hill to tell everyone else. Dedue and Hilda glanced at each other before they followed their house leaders to get ready for the battle.

* * *

Dedue quickly ran across the battlefield, helping Caspar get back up off of the ground, ignoring the arrow that splintered against his shield as he did so. Caspar quickly yelled his thanks as he dashed towards a bandit. Dedue saw Mihail cast a dark spell and Claude capitalize on it: arrow sinking into the bandits throat after the green slime had started melting through him. He kept on moving, deciding to dance for Dorothea.

The battle was decidedly in the students’ favor, only very few bandits able to withstand their first rush. Dedue was expecting for the stragglers would flee and the fight would be over. He was not expecting the loud roar that shook the ground.

He heard the screams of the bandits as he saw the monster leap over them, immediately making its way towards Dimitri and Ashe. The archer let a few arrows loose at it, catching it in the gaps of it’s natural armor. The monster swiped at Dimitri, forcing him to roll back to avoid getting sliced by it’s claws.

Abandoning it’s attempt for Dimitri’s flesh, the monster started it’s pounding gait towards the main group of students. It leapt up to nearly bite Ingrid out of the air before she dodged. The monster ran past Leonie to chase Sylvain and Ferdinand for a few seconds before turning towards Dedue, Dorothea, and Mihail, a vicious grin decorating it’s maw.

Dedue took point, stepping in front of the other two-magic users with his gauntlets primed, ready to dodge and retaliate. As the monster got closer, he started winding up for a punch as the monster would meet him. The monster was right in front of him and he swung-

-only to meet air as it suddenly leapt over him like it had the bandits. He quickly gathered himself and watched as it went towards Dorothea and Mihail, both of them quickly readying spells to fire at it. As it reached them, Dorothea fired off a thoron, hitting the monster directly on the side. 

It didn’t even yelp as it ignored her, swinging its tail against Mihail’s face, knocking him out. Dedue hesitated for a slight moment before he started running towards the scene, every student watching in fear as the monster cackled before it reached out with a clawed hand to grasp the unconscious student.

A flash of light from Claude and Ignatz’s direction had the monster quickly snap its head up, focusing on the quick flash for a brief second before it bounded over to the archers. Dedue paid it no mind as he and Dorothea started healing Mihail, who groaned as he woke up again.

Lysithea’s voice rang out over the battlefield, every note of what she said dripped in terror. “It’s going after crests! Look out!”

Dedue quickly glanced at the battlefield, cursing under his breath as the monster’s rampage went unchallenged, students scattering and retreating as they chipped away at it’s armor. Dedue found himself dancing for both Dorothea and Mihail as they shot lightning and dark magic at the monster. Other flashes of magic and crests could be seen as the students started surrounding it, giving it too many options for it to pick just one. Crests were invoked in pairs spread apart and the students without crests became the deadlier fighters, able to wait and time their attacks for maximum damage.

Caspar’s axe sliced into its head, finally killing the monster. The silence of the area after the roar and chaos of battle was nearly deafening as the students looked at each other, some standing perfectly still while others moved on autopilot to go through the remains, patch up the wounded, and take notes of what had happened.

After Dedue is finished healing Lysithea, he looks across the field seeing different groups of students group together. Hilda and Marianne were hugging each other as they walked over to Claude. Dimitri, Ingrid, Felix, and Sylvain all glanced at each other to see if they still had any outstanding injuries. Annette and Mercedes held hands as they walked back to the professor. Caspar flung himself around Linhardt as the healer finished his own work. Dorothea stared down Lorenz and Ferdinand as the three drifted near each other. Mihail picked up Lysithea as he walked by, her indignant shout as she was carried back to their encampment carrying through the air.

* * *

“Do we want to talk about it?” Sylvain sighed as they travel back to the monastery, the original Blue Lions sharing their own carriage. “What would make a monster only go for people with crests?”

“It does seem unnatural.” Mercedes said, “There aren’t that many people who do have crests, and it seemed to ignore those who didn’t.”

“But how did it find us?” Ashe asked. “Where did it come from? What is it?”

Mihail grimaced. “Maybe it’s not natural.”

“How can you have an unnatural monster?” Annette wondered.

Felix scoffed. “Try asking the boar.”

“Felix!”

“It’s alright, Ingrid.” Dimitri said, holding up a hand to stop her outburst. “He’s just joking. Although I do have to wonder about how one would make an unnatural abomination.”

Dedue is certain that he’s the only person who catches Mihail’s flinch at Dimitri’s words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Convenite, viatores-" - Come together, travelers- (Remember when this popped up earlier?)
> 
> "Legete pomum et abeunt-" - Choose the fruit and go away (this is the second line of Epic 1, based off of "pick your fruit and hop your freight."
> 
> "Salve" - Hello
> 
> "Doleo." - I am in pain.
> 
> "Unda?" - Water? (in this case it's obviously the glass, but this could mean water, river, etc.)


	9. Chapter 9

“Alright!” Mihail shouts, getting everyone’s attention. “Welcome to the weekly Blue Lions Strategy Meeting, this one taking place on the 17th day of the Wyvern Moon, in the year of your Goddess-”

“Don’t let Rhea hear you say that.” 

“-1180.” Mihail gave a sharp glare to Felix for interrupting him. “We have both the Golden Deer and the Black Eagles with us, so I move to strike the tactics session for the Eagle and Lion Battle off of the agenda.”

“There’s an agenda?!”

“The what now-”

“Oh come on, you can let us stay for that-”

Dedue watched as Mihail tried to control the crowd of students, flashing his crest in a glow of bright light to steal everyone’s attention. “As I was saying,” he shouted, before going back to a casual speaking voice. “This meeting is mostly so all the houses can touch bases, because something is going on and we aren’t going to get any answers. Thanks are given to Lorenz, Ferdinand, and Dimitri for setting this up.”

Hubert sighed. “What do you want from us?”

“Has anything weird happened?” Mihail asked, motioning to Ashe to get his pen ready. “Maybe something involving crests?”

Hubert and Edelgard looked at each other, a silent conversation in their eyes before Edelgard spoke. “There is one instance, but we want to know what has been going on in the other houses. Especially considering that they now have residents of the Empire in them.”

The crowd started speaking again, Bernadetta’s frantic apologies shrill and framed by the voices of everyone else. Dedue rubbed his temples, watching Mihail climb on top of his desk and start stomping to regain control of the room. “That’s fair. Claude? Besides what happened two days ago, do you have anything to report?”

Claude shrugged. “I don’t have anything interesting to say. Anyone else?”

Lysithea raised her hand, her voice dangerously even as she spoke. “I also have something to share after others share their findings.”

“Oh? Why don’t you say it now?” Felix said, crossing his arms.

“It’s not just my thing to tell.” Lysithea simply stated, crossing her legs as she stared down Felix.

The room was quiet for a few more moments until it burst into whispers, everyone turned to the nearest person to guess what she meant by those words. Dedue watched Mihail quickly jump off the desk and make his way to her, cupping his hand over her ear as he whispered something. Lysithea whispered something back and Mihail nodded, making his way back to his place in the middle of the throng and waiting for it all to quiet down.

Dedue felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face Dorothea. “Look at Edie.” She instructed. “Doesn’t she look concerned?” As Dedue studied the princess, he could tell that Dorothea was right: Edelgard was constantly throwing concerned glances Lysithea’s way. Hubert’s eyes seemed to be following a different person, and Dedue couldn’t tell who it was thanks to all of the people in the middle of the classroom.

His attention was brought back as Mihail stomped on the table once more. “If everyone’s ready to move on-”

“Oh, just tell us what’s been going on!” Leonie shouted. “All the action has been in the Blue Lions House anyway!”

“Yeah!” Monica agreed, sitting next to her. “What are you gonna say?”

Mihail glared at the two before he spoke. “Well, there was the kidnapping of myself and Flayn, which could have been because of our crests. Then the monster that we fought with the Golden Deer that only targeted students with crests.”

“Do you really think those are connected?” Hilda asked. “If they were, why wouldn’t the monster just go for you?”

“Because the creators of the monster wanted something different!” Lysithea snapped, glaring at the pink-haired girl. “They probably need more materials for-” She cut herself off, glancing around at the whole room.

“Lysithea,” Claude said softly, shifting his chair to face the girl, “what are the materials needed for?”

Lysithea seemed to be struck dumb, stammering as she tried to answer.

“They’re needed for experiments.” 

Everyone turned to face Edelgard as she spoke. “Human experiments.”

Dedue started to put the pieces together as he watched the inevitable conclusion come forward.

“How would you know about this, Edelgard?” Dimitri asked. His eyes kept darting to the lance at the back of the Blue Lions classroom.

Edelgard sighed, holding out her hand and igniting her crest. “Because, dear stepbrother-”

No one in the classroom seemed to be prepared for Byleth’s crest to light up next to it. “I was one of the successful subjects.”

* * *

It took ages for the classroom to settle down, most of the students attempting to ask Edelgard or Lysithea what was going on. Hubert had quickly stepped in front of the princess after she spoke, the dark magic crackling in his palms a great deterrent for keeping people back. On the other side of the room, Mihail and Claude worked together to shield Lysithea from the rest of the Academy. Claude’s charisma pulling double duty as Mihail quickly spoke with the Ordelia heir. 

Dedue felt stunned as he watched the chaos unfold. He glanced at Dorothea to see the horror on her face as she looked at Edelgard.

Eventually, the room quieted down again, everyone still looking at the two light-haired students. “So,” Marianne said softly, “you both were-”

“Yes.” Edelgard said. “My brothers and sisters didn’t make it.”

“All of them?” Ferdinand whispered, obviously thinking out loud. “The imperial family was-”

“The Ordelia family was subjected to the same fate.” Lysithea said, stepping out from behind Mihail. “I, personally, had two crests forced into me. Neither of them are natural.”

“That’s deplorable.” Lorenz said, a similar look of horror on his face. “That’s barbaric, it’s-”

“Still continuing.” Mihail interjected. Dedue’s heart fell as he spoke. “I also survived the experiments, although I think mine were slightly different to give me a crest that was never seen before.”

“But-” Edelgard paused, “your hair…”

“It’s dyed.” Dimitri said. “When he first appeared at the Blaiddyd castle, his hair was as white as Lysithea’s.”

“It’s the shock.” Lysithea said. “It creates a lack of pigment.”

“Who did this to you?” Dorothea asked.

Hubert cleared his throat. “Lady Edelgard and I have been trying to find this group. Right now, all we know is their name: Those Who Slither in the Shadows.”

“That sounds evil.” Caspar said.

“Do you believe that they’re still trying to continue their experiments?” Mercedes asked.

Linhardt yawned. “Of course they are, look at what happened to Mihail when he got kidnapped. His crest went from minor to major.”

All eyes in the room shot back to Mihail, the man placing a hand at his side. “Hanneman knew that they had stabbed me, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that they were just continuing a failed experiment.”

“Failed-” Sylvain gagged. Dedue felt horror run through his veins.

Claude spoke up, stepping in front of Mihail. “What do we do now? How do we deal with these people?”

Edelgard sighed, her face suddenly betraying her tiredness. “We don’t know yet. We just have to make sure we work together right now. It’s quite possibly the only way we can handle the Slithers.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao i'm back finally

Dedue drew a card. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m better.” Mihail sighed as Dedue discarded, taking his turn quickly. “It still feels like a dream, finally knowing who’s responsible for this.”

“Do you mind if I ask when?”

Mihail smiled, picking up the card Dedue had just discarded. “If you keep on playing like that, you could ask me for practically anything. But,” he paused to watch Dedue put down another card, “it was sometime after the Funeral. I was taken during the aftermath of it, and I woke up in a cell.”

Dedue found himself speechless as he watched Mihail finish his turn. He drew a card and looked at it quickly, deciding to actually start playing now that his hand was decent. Silence filled the room for a few moments, the only sounds were those of the cards.

Mihail smirked as he placed down a set of nines.  _ “Fortuna amat mei.” _ Dedue rolled his eyes as he drew a card, placing out his own set of cards.

_ “Fortuna mutatum est amore se.” _

The two Duscuri looked at each other, breaking out into laughter as they continued playing.

* * *

Dedue isn’t sure when it started, but it takes a few days for him to realize that there is always at least 2 other students around Edelgard, Lysithea, or Mihail.

Hubert has always been a presence around the princess, holding himself to be her shadow, but now other members of the Black Eagles cycle around her too. It seems like Ferdinand is constantly challenging her to something, Caspar is always dashing in-and-out of rooms, Edelgard always waking up Linhardt, or helping Petra write a letter, or listening to Dorothea sing. 

Dedue watches as Bernadetta sneaks out of her room every once in a while to cook a snack for her. He casually forgets to put away the ingredients she needs.

Lysithea is constantly complaining about Claude and Hilda treating her like a little sister. “They have the whole house in on it.” She explains to Mihail while he’s working on his hair, the dye fading out and starting to gray. “Raphael is constantly carrying me around everywhere, Lorenz drags me to a bunch of etiquette lessons, and Ignatz and Leonie keep on trying to teach me how to shoot a bow!” 

“Well,” Mihail starts, “how are you doing with that?”

“I hit three bullseyes in a row and Loog’d an arrow.” Lysithea says proudly, a trace of her annoyance gone for the moment. Dedue remains quiet as he remembers Marianne practicing her ice magic by keeping Lysithea’s drinks cold.

Of course, it’s the easiest to spot in his own house. He, for one, is keeping a close eye on Mihail, their talks at night now practically sleepovers in one of their rooms. Ashe and Mercedes always seem to be constant guests, always shuffling in and out of the room with treats and stories. Annette keeps a secondary journal for whenever Mihail inevitably forgets about his. Sylvain is constantly taking lessons in Duscurum now, and if Mihail is to be trusted, he is frighteningly good at learning the language. Dedue finds himself cooking with both Ingrid and Mihail in the kitchen more often now, the woman often just their taster because of an incident involving salt and sugar. The talks between Mihail and Dimitri about the future relations of Duscur and Faerghus grow longer and more detailed, and Mihail seems pleased after he leaves each one.

“He’s finally seeing sense now.” Mihail says after one of their meetings, changing into his nightwear.

Dedue declines to comment. There was a reason Mihail’s family were the Ambassadors of Duscur and not his.

Felix stopped glowering long enough to ask Mihail to spar, only with fists and magic. Mihail readily agrees, and while the two get ready, Dedue is pretty sure he sees Mihail quickly cast omnipotence on himself.

Felix notices this too, and stubbornly waits for the spell to fade while tossing out softened insults at Mihail. Mihail answers back with his own, and when Dedue blinks, the two are engaged, tussling on the ground and throwing punches. The two are nearly dead even in brawling, and the match is a near stalemate with Felix’s speed helping him dodge the most sinister of Mihail’s magic.

It ends with both men tired, laid out on the ground, and a crowd around them that had slowly been gathering during the fight. There are whoops and cheers and money being passed around from hand to hand as Lysithea reads off the winnings from small bets on what would happen during the fight.

Ignatz makes out like a bandit with 142 gold for correctly guessing the order of spells cast during the fight. No one knows how the painter could’ve done it.

Both Sylvain and Claude run onto the grounds before remembering that they haven’t practiced faith magic. They then call the respective healers of their houses.

* * *

Dedue and Mihail are playing cards again when the door opens, the entirety of the student population at the Officers Academy behind it. He hears Caspar and Raphael shout out a half-hearted “Sorry!” as the door swings open, and Hubert saunters in.

He looks even more owlish as he speaks to Mihail. “Vessyl. Where’s your journal?” 

“Hello, Vestra.” Mihail says back, not even looking up from his hand. “It’s in the bag, Side pocket.”

“Thank you.” The mage quickly finds the journal and starts flipping through it. The people still in the hallway start to slowly trickle into Mihail’s room and find places to sit or lean against the wall.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Mihail says, finally putting his cards down, “why is there a war council in my room all of a sudden?”

“Your journal has a note of the Slithers in it.” Lorenz stated, “Do you remember your meeting with Archbishop Rhea?”

Mihail made a face. “Did I ever have a meeting with the Archbishop?”

Annette came rushing in, carrying a journal. “I found the back-” Her eyes took in the scene. “Oh.”

“You met with Rhea a few days after you were brought back.” Leonie answered, looking down at the cards between Mihail and Dedue on the bed. “Those are lousy flops.”

“Oh?” Sylvain said, “How bad?”

“A two, an eight, a queen. All in different suits.”

“Gambling aside,” Hubert drawled, “You have a line connecting the Slithers to Rhea. Why?”

“Rhea knows about the slithers.” Mihail answered casually, before a confused look plastered itself on his face. “I don’t remember knowing this.”

“You guessed it later, ghost.” Felix snapped. “That line didn’t exist at the lunch where the others mobbed you.”

“How could Rhea even know about the Slithers?” Ashe asked.

“Yeah, haven’t they been an underground kind of show for a long time?” Dorothea asked. “If they’re able to keep quiet this long, how does Rhea have any record of them?”

“How old are the Slithers?” Raphael asked, the question obviously meant to be a whisper, but he just couldn’t be loud.

“They can’t be a young group.” Lysithea stated. “Their hypotheses were far too complex for them to have just started.”

“But they can’t be that old, can they?” Monica asked. “Maybe they kidnapped me last year, but you could get a lot of work done in a year if you want to.”

Edelgard sighed. “The Slithers have been around since at least the Saints walked the earth. That has to be true from what I know of my time with them.”

“They’ve been working for 1100 years?” Hilda asked, turning green. “That means-”

“They have to be one of the more technologically advanced groups in all of Fodlan right now.” Ingrid realized. “That’s how they can create the monster-”

“-And do the experiments-” Petra added.

“And the Archbishop has a connection, somehow, allegedly.” Claude finished, taking a seat next to Mihail. “Is there anything else you remember?”

“Uh,” Mihail froze with everyone looking at him, his eyes darting to the journal in Hubert’s hand. Hubert handed it over and Mihail’s eyes scanned over the page. “Slithers, Rhea, Seteth, Flayn, The Saints, The Legends, Sothis, Seiros, Cichol, Cethleann, Indech, Macuil-” He paused to take a breath, his eyes widening slightly. “They were being weird when they were talking about Macuil.”

“How weird?” Dimitri asked.

“Weird. They were saying words clearly, but I’m not sure if the meaning of the words was supposed to be clear. Something about the statues being wrong on purpose?”

“The statues are wrong?” Ignatz asked. “That doesn’t make any sense. The Four Saints are strong legends in Fodlan. Why would the monastery make the statues wrong on purpose?”

“It is bigger than the statues.” Ferdinand said. “Any religious text with an image is almost a direct likeness to those statues. If the statues are wrong-”

“-Than we know almost nothing about the Saints.” Dorothea said. “But that means that the Church has to be in on it, and the Archbishop…” She trailed off, the conclusion she was coming to in everyone’s mind.

“Are there any records of the monastery and the church?” Marianne asked.

“In the library!” Annette said. “Want to come check with me?” Marianne nodded, and the two walked out. Mercedes, Hilda, Lorenz, Ferdinand, and Dedue followed, with Dedue falling in step with Mercedes.

* * *

“Every Archbishop looks like Rhea?” Lorenz asked, incredulous as he looked through the tome in his hands.

“It seems so.” Marianne said, taking notes for later use. 

Dedue looked at the pictures of the many Archbishops of the Church, the similarities of the hair-styles, textures, and facial features all too much for it to be a coincidence. “How has no one else noticed this?”

Hilda was smirking, almost gloating because she figured it out first. “Makeup is an art form that can trick any person who doesn’t know how it works.”

“But the Church employs so many people,” Ferdinand said, “Someone has to be able to see this-”

“See what?” Tomas interjected, walking towards the group. Hilda quickly closed a few tomes, smiling at the man.

“It’s nothing Tomas.” She said, “We just wanted to see how strong the connection between Faith magic and the Church was.”

Dedue worked to keep the shock out of his face at the bold-faced lie by her. Marianne and Lorenz seemed to expect the move, unphased by Hilda’s words. Mercedes’ smile became slightly strained and Ferdinand quickly looked down.

“Oh?” Tomas said, a warm smile on his own face. “That’s wonderful to hear. I’m glad you’re all doing your research here in the library. Do not be afraid to ask me for help, alright?”

“I wouldn’t dream of forgetting about you Tomas!” Hilda said, picking up her things and hugging the man. “We should probably get going though, Byleth has a super interesting seminar today, right guys?”

“Yes!” Mercedes agreed, grabbing a few of the tomes. “I actually think it’s on Faith and Authority today.”

“Sounds interesting.” Tomas said, nodding sagely. “Please, don’t allow me to hold you up.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Hilda said as she started guiding everyone out of the library. “I’ll see you later, Tomas!”

* * *

Later that day, Dedue follows Dimitri to a meeting with all of the house leaders and their vassals. As they walk in Dedue waves back at Hilda, the pink-haired woman almost too energetic at these meetings.

“Greetings, everyone.” Edelgard said when they were all seated. “I assume that we have a lot to talk about right now, so let’s just get into it.”

“We should probably get the mission stuff out of the way.” Claude said. “Did Byleth tell you about everyone’s mission for the week?”

“The trip out to Remire Village, correct?” Dimitri asked. “I wonder why all of the houses are going on the same mission.”

Hubert hummed in agreement. “It is only a simple reconnaissance mission. Remire Village must be a rather big area if they want all of the houses and professors there.”

Dedue found himself agreeing, trying to come up with a reference to himself on how large the village might be. The size of Genus? Bene? “Either way,” he said, taking a seat bext to the prince. “We should probably give each other notes about our classmates later. What is it you wanted to talk about right now?”

Edelgard sighed. “I want to create a bond between the Empire, the Kingdom, and the Alliance.”

“A bond?” Hilda asked, leaning forward in her seat. “What kind of bond?”

There was a long silence as the princess thought over her words carefully before she spoke. “A bond of peace in the coming times.”

“You say that like there is war on the horizon.” Claude stated, arching an eyebrow. “Is there something you know that we don’t?”

“I’ve been in contact with Those Who Slither in The Dark.”

Dedue blinked. “What.”

“I repeat the sentiment.” Dimitri said, looking startled by her admission.

If Dimitri was startled, than Hubert was rattled. “Edelgard, I thought-”

“Out of the three students that they have experimented on, I believe I was the one they wanted to have some political power.” She interjected, giving Hubert an apologetic glance. “As the remaining heir of the Empire, it would make sense that they kept a closer eye on me. And so I, in turn, kept an eye on them.”

“How?” Hilda asked. “If they’re so crazy powerful, how are you not afraid of getting caught?”

“I have an alias.” Edelgard answered. 

Dedue came to a sudden realization. “You’re the Flame Emperor.”

Dimitri’s eyes narrowed as he shot up out of his seat. “What?”

“Edie-” Claude said, his voice calm and steady while his eyes were pointedly scanning the princess and her vassal. “Are you the Flame Emperor?”

There was a long silence in the room as everyone waited for her to answer. Dedue felt his heart beat faster in nervousness, the potential for everything to be broken before it could even be started-

“Yes.” Edelgard said, glancing around the room. “I am.”

* * *

“So.” Dimitri grunted, facing the original Blue Lions. “After hearing everything, what do you want to do?”

“Edelgard is working with them?” Ingrid asked, “That’s disturbing. If this group was involved in the Tragedy-”

“Did she know about that?” Annette said, “If she really is the Flame Emperor, than it would make sense that he let us go when we were in the caverns.”

Ashe nodded. “It does add up-”

“She let us live one time.” Felix snapped, crossing his arms. “So what?” 

“That means she doesn’t agree with the Slithers.” Sylvain said. “There’s no way she would have gone easy on us if she actually wanted this peace treaty.”

“Unless she’s playing us.” Ingrid noted.

Dedue looked at Mercedes and Mihail as they sat next to each other, watching everyone talk about what to do next. Mercedes had a sad smile on her face. “She seems scared of them.” She said, “If that’s why she has contacted them, I want to believe that she doesn’t want to hurt anyone here.”

“It’s a difficult thing to judge.” Mihail said, shaking his head. “I trust her, but this is a shock.”

Dimitri still seemed livid, Dedue noticed. He calmly stayed close to the prince’s side as he paced back and forth. “I don’t understand,” Dimitri said, spitting the words out, “She’s working with the same people who have hurt people here, who killed people we love, and we’re supposed to just act like it never happened? Are we really going to let the dead remain disgusted in the earth?”

Dedue froze at Dimitri’s tone, the anger and violence coloring it chilled his blood. Something was wrong. “Let us talk about this later,” he said, looking around the room at everyone else’s surprised reactions. “This is a very important choice for us all.”

* * *

_ “Hoc est miserum.”  _ Mihail sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. Dedue watched as he ran a hand through his hair, small patches of white starting to become visible through the fading dye.  _ “Meus signum meum capillum mutat celeriter.” _

Dedue sighed, turning back to his book.  _ “Videris acer et sapiens.” _

_ “Ego fac?” _ Mihail pulled his eyes away from the mirror and took his hands out of his hair.  _ “Id odisse est a me.” _

Dedue looked up again, an eyebrow raising as he put his book down.  _ “Tuus species aut tuus signum?” _

Mihail started walking away from the mirror, flopping facedown onto the bed.  _ “Uterque.”  _ His voice was muffled by blankets and bedding. 

Dedue laughed.  _ “Sum laetus pro te. Habuisti magnus honorem.”  _

Mihail picked up his head, looking at Dedue.  _ “Non possum recordari multum. At ago tibi gratias.” _ Time passes, and as the two finish going over some battle tactics, Mihail looks like he’s had a wonderful thought.  _ “Possum mutare tuum capillum?” _

_ “Semper.”  _ Dedue grabs a comb and brush, giving them to Mihail and taking a seat on the ground so the other man had clear access to all of his hair.

* * *

Dedue awakes with a sore back, stiff muscles, and to the sound of voices in the room. “Oh, he’s up.” a voice says as he blinks away the sleep from his eyes and focuses.

Sylvain is smirking as he waits by the door. Ashe is sitting next to him. Mercedes is sat in the chair at Mihail’s desk. Dedue yawns, stretching upwards and sighing. “Good morning. Does Mihail know you’re here?”

“He let us in.” Sylvain said. “Told us not to wreck the room while he got ready for the day.”

Annette walked through the door, towing Felix behind her. “We’re here!”

Dedue raised an eyebrow. “What is happening?” He asked.

Ingrid entered the room. “So, are we actually going to do this?”

Dedue could tell that something was suspicious. “What are you all planning to do?” 

“Isn’t it obvious, you fool?” Felix spat, crossing his arms. “We’re gonna work with Edelgard. Against the boar’s wishes.”

“I don’t want to upset Dimitri,” Mercedes said with a sigh, “but it’s in everyone’s best interest that we all work together.”

“Besides, we also need to talk about yesterday.” Ashe said, still sitting criss-crossed next to Dedue. “He doesn’t seem to be in the best state of mind right now.”

“He’s always been like that.” Felix said. “He’s just hidden it well from you all this time.”

Ingrid sighed. “What happened? He wasn’t like this when we were younger.”

“It doesn’t really matter now, does it?” Annette said. “We just have to make sure that Dimitri isn’t going to harm anyone.”

“That’s a tall order.” Sylvain said. “He’s already pretty strong by himself. We’ll have to be pretty smart to keep him in check, and even smarter to not let him catch onto us.”

“It is for his best interest though.” Dedue said. “At the very least, we should try to help him.”

“Well, it seems like we’re all in agreement.” Ashe had a smile on his face as he spoke. “We should have some time before the mission to put a plan together.”

* * *

As Jeralt ran onto the training grounds during lessons for the day, Dedue had the distinct feeling that there was no time to put a plan together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Fortuna amat mei.” - "Fortune/Luck loves me."
> 
> “Fortuna mutatum est amore se.” - "Fortune/Luck has changed her love."
> 
> “Hoc est miserum.” - "This is pitiful/horrible."
> 
> “Meus signum meum capillum mutat celeriter.” - "My (crest) is quickly changing my hair."
> 
> “Videris acer et sapiens.” - "You look sharp and wise."
> 
> "Ego fac?" - "I do?"
> 
> "Id odisse est a me." - "It is hated by me."
> 
> “Tuus species aut tuus signum?” - "Your appearance or your (crest)?"
> 
> "Utergue." - "Both."
> 
> “Sum laetus pro te. Habuisti magnus honorem.” - "I am happy for you. You have great honor" (The last part is a colloquial - I'm proud of you)
> 
> “Non possum recordari multum. At ago tibi gratias.” - "I can't remember much (of that). But I thank you."
> 
> “Possum mutare tuum capillum?” - "Am I able to change your hair?"
> 
> Semper.” - "Always."


	11. announcement

Hey, so I've been thinking about this fic, and I've been taking some time to reflect over my thoughts about the fandom and portrayals of different characters. Through this reflection, I have decided that I really don't enjoy writing this fic this way. I still want to write this au, but in earlier chapters, I was not being critical of the story and characters I was writing about, and I feel that it shows in interactions that are fundamentally out of character for both canon characters and my own OC.

In an earlier chapter note, I made a mention of falling out of love with Dimidue, and I think that that statement does not accurately reflect my thoughts on the ship. I fell out of love with the main way that the ship was being presented in many fanfics and fan art, with a more intrinsic and in depth focus on Dimitri and his agency at the expense of Dedue and his own.

I'm not blaming anyone for doing this on purpose. I think that by analyzing the Azure Moon plotline, it is very easy to see how people could accidentally underwrite Dedue's character. Dedue is a refugee living under the protection of a person who is about to take the same power that made him a refugee. To write him as Dimitri's hype guy under those circumstances would be to completely ignore the power dynamics involved, and Dedue's feelings about Dimitri and Faerghus. To write the two to be in a romantic relationship without the both of them unpacking and dealing with their emotional baggage after the Tragedy of Duscur and the subsequent Kingdom raids would be a disservice to both.

In the end, I realized that I have to think about how I view Fodlan and it's many issues when it comes to other cultures. How that translates over to fandom perceptions of different characters (Ingrid, Claude, Hilda, etc.), and how this issues come to light in fanworks.

I say all of this to say that I am discontinuing this version of this story. I believe that it is too deeply steeped in the issues I mentioned, and it would be better for me to wipe the drawing board clean and restart.

Besides, the pacing and plot threads were a mess anyways. Better to just cut it here and look at it for inspiration while I fix it up.

Thank you for reading, and giving kudos to this fic, and don't worry, this fic will still stay up. The newest version of this fic will be in this series. I'm thinking of posting it during the first week of April, so I can build up a lot of material and edit it with a critical eye.

Thanks again,

Mercury.

**Author's Note:**

> Latin/Duscurum Translations:
> 
> "bonus/bona amicus/amica" = good friend  
"Salve, dominus Molinaro Terra" = Hello, head of the earthen Molinaro house  
"Salve, dominus Vessyl Ventum" = Hello, head of the zephyr Vessyl house  
"Mentes causa," = For the sake of my mind/sanity  
"Precor terrae, tace" = I swear to the earth, be silent you.  
"Terram causa, non dixi" = For the sake of the earth, I will not speak


End file.
